Florida State Road 21

State Road 21 marker
State Road 21
Blanding Boulevard
Map
SR 21 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by FDOT
Length57.573 mi[1] (92.655 km)
Existed1945–present
Major junctions
South end SR 20 near McMeekin
Major intersections SR 26 in Melrose
SR 100 in Keystone Heights
SR 224 near Orange Park
I-295 in Jacksonville
North end US 17 in Jacksonville
Location
CountryUnited States
StateFlorida
CountiesPutnam, Bradford, Clay, Duval
Highway system
SR 20 SR 22

State Road 21 (SR 21) runs mostly in a southwest-to-northeast direction in the US state of Florida from McMeekin to Jacksonville. It is also known as Blanding Boulevard for much of its length.

SR 21 is one of three routes, along with Roosevelt Boulevard (US 17) and the First Coast Expressway (SR 23), that connect Jacksonville with its surroundings west of the St. Johns River. Congestion has become a problem over the years as local government works to develop infrastructure for the growing populations of Orange Park, Middleburg and Green Cove Springs with the northern connectivity sought and thought to be achieved by drastic road widening despite the decimation of Lake Shore's prewar scale. Residents of both Clay and St. Johns counties' communities rely on Duval's economy (Jacksonville) for employment. As a result, traffic is heavy during morning and evening rush hour, especially near and on I-295. Such has spurred the creation of the Collins Road / I-295 interchange.

Blanding Boulevard was named after Albert Hazen Blanding (November 9, 1876 – December 26, 1970) who was a United States Army General. He was one of the most distinguished military figures in Florida's history.

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